Arizona weekly enterprise., 1887-09-24
Preachers with Nerve.

"Speaking about nerve in fighting In- dians, said Aaron Mason in crowd, the other evening"" reminds me of a little experience in early days up in Colorado. One Sunday, during an Indian scare, a preacher named McMain was about in the middle of his sermon when lot of men were passing the church door to take the field against the red devils who were murdering men, women and children right and left. He stopped short and remarked My friends, 1 do not know how you feel about it, but as for me, I cannot remain here while men are need ed to fight these Indians; my excited nerves will not permit 1t. I am now go ing to join these volunteers and I bid you adieu' Without further words he took his hat and passed out of the church and made application to enter the ranks of the Indian fighters. He was fitted out and went at once to the front. l tell you we had pretty severe times, and in one place we were on hill, surrounded with Indians and in danger of being starved out. The Indians would crawl up behind the rocks and send their ar rows at us mighty lively Parties were detailed to storm them back every once in while and McMain, the little Metho- dist preacher, was always ready to make | the charge and he w;s the most daring fellow I ever met. The arrows would | fly thick and fast about him, tearing his clothes but never touching his flesh. He would return after charge and look at his tattered coat with the remark chat was a pretty close shave for me, that l 4: l,,. lr, 4I, danger he was in. He afterwards was arrested ip Silver City, New Mexico, on suspicion of having killed priest, but he was finally released for want of evi- dence and I do not know what has since become of him.
 'I remember good fighting preacher over in Texas" said a bystander. "A little Dallas preacher after conducting big revival in some adjoining count ties, announced his ir tention of holding ser vices in Carthage, which is not far from | the Louisiana line. When he went to the place be was met on the road outside of town by big, burly resident of the | place-a saloon keeper-who asked him his name and then told the little minister that he couldn't preach in Carthage un- | l0SS He LISO ppSO AiAlIi. iS I0f0IOhN gentleman looked at his big opponent calmly said that he was opposed to fight ing on principle, but when he announced that he would preach in Carthage he meant exactly what he said, and saw nc other way open to do so but in accepting the unequal challenge. He got out of hls buggy; tied his horse to the fence and squared off for the fracas. In less than three minutes the big fellow looked like comic circus poster; he was the worst licked man in eastern Texas, while the little preacher handn't scratch He held big revival in Carthage and was never again molested."
 q knew bishop, up in Colorado, said Mason, "that was the right kind ot a chap for the frontier, and he made friends of everybody. When he wa. ready to preach he would go into tht saloons and gambling houses and cor dially salute the "boys," and say to them 'now boys, close up your game for hall an hour and come and hear me talk, aud every mothers son among them would follew him like flock of sheep. I tel you there are many mighty good soit oi men in the pulpit and when I meet ont of that kind I like to make a friend O. him."